Honour your Father and Mother

“You say it is perfectly all right for a man to disregard his needy parents, telling them, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you! For I have given to God what I could have given to you.” Mark 7:11 TLB

Jesus is rebuking the Pharisees about their valuing traditions over the true meaning and intent of the Scriptures. The commandment is “Honour your father and mother.” But people were making excuses for not taking care of their parents by saying that their money had been given to God, presumably as temple offerings. They prided themselves on their tithing while neglecting their familial duties. Jesus made it clear that their monetary giving did not somehow relieve them of their other responsibilities. At the cross, Jesus entrusted the care of Mary to John ensuring that she would be taken care of.  He was the Son of God but he still obeyed the commandment to honour his mother.

I need to be careful that I don’t use up my resources of time, money, emotional energy, and physical energy doing “godly” work while I neglect to care for my parents. Sometimes looking after older people is boring or uncomfortable. Spending money on them may seem like a waste if they are near the end of their life.  Enriching their lives can be a burden that I’d rather not carry when I could be doing more interesting things or investing money in more dramatic ministries. It is important for me to remember that God values every minute that I spend honouring my parents.